I, Frankenstein — Two centuries after his creation by Dr. Frankenstein, the creature Adam finds himself in the middle of a supernatural war over the fate of humanity. With Aaron Eckhart, Bill Nighy, Yvonne Strahovski and Miranda Otto. Written and directed by Stuart Beattie. Rated PG-13, 92 minutes. — Los Angeles Times

The Saratov Approach — Two Mormon missionaries in Russia fight for survival after being kidnapped, beaten and held for ransom in this film based on true events in 1998. With Corbin Allred, Maclain Nelson and Nikita Bogolyubov. Rated PG-13, 107 minutes. — LAT

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American Hustle — David O. Russell co-wrote and directed the story of Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale), who in 1978, began running scams with his partner Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams). Busted by an FBI agent (Bradley Cooper), the two then help trap politicians. High-energy scenes combine with bad hair and worse costumes for a wild ride. Jennifer Lawrence burns up the screen as Irving’s unstable wife. Rated R, 138 minutes. — Boo Allen

August: Osage County — When a family crisis brings them back to the Oklahoma house they grew up in, three sisters confront the dysfunctional woman who raised them. With Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Ewan McGregor and Chris Cooper. Written by Tracy Letts. Directed by John Wells. Rated R, 130 minutes. — LAT

Devil’s Due — After a mysterious lost night on their honeymoon, a newlywed couple (Allison Miller and Zach Gilford) find themselves dealing with an earlier-than-planned pregnancy that begins to betray sinister origins. — LAT

Frozen — Disney’s new movie, very roughly based on Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Snow Queen,” follows two princesses: rambunctious young Anna (voiced by Kristen Bell) and older sister Elsa (Idina Menzel), who has the secret, magical ability to chill whatever she touches. When Elsa’s coronation day approaches, a squabble between the sisters sets off a freak cold snap throughout the land. Rated PG, 85 minutes. — Minneapolis Star Tribune

Her — Spike Jonze wrote and directed this soulful meditation about a man (Joaquin Phoenix) who falls in love with his operating system (voiced by Scarlett Johansson). Jonze probes higher questions of what actually makes a human. Thoughtful, if at times leisurely paced. With Chris Pratt, Amy Adams and Rooney Mara. Rated R, 126 minutes. — B.A.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug —The Desolation of Smaug is not much shorter than the first film of Peter Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy, but it feels brisker, lighter, funnier. Instead of a drawn-out intro, we get right to the action — the quest of Bilbo (Martin Freeman, himself livelier and funnier) and the band of dwarves, led by Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) to reclaim the kingdom of Erebor from the frightening dragon Smaug. With Ian McKellen, Stephen Fry, Ryan Gage, Orlando Bloom and Evangeline Lilly. Rated PG-13, 161 minutes. — The Associated Press

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit — In this Jack Ryan reboot, Chris Pine takes over as Tom Clancy’s CIA analyst. Shadow Recruit, which was scripted without a Clancy book, tells a new backstory for Ryan. Inspired by Sept. 11, he joins the Marines and is heroically injured in Afghanistan. During his recovery, he meets his eventual fiancee (Keira Knightley) and is lured to the CIA by a mysterious recruiter (Kevin Costner). He’s covertly embedded at a Wall Street bank where he uncovers a Russian plot to buy up U.S. Treasury bonds. Director-actor Kenneth Branagh endows his film with (mostly) old-fashioned competency but little to distinguish it from superior thrillers that have come before. Rated PG-13, 105 minutes. — AP

The Legend of Hercules — Betrayed by his stepfather, the mythical Greek hero Hercules (Kellan Lutz) is sold into slavery because of a forbidden love and must fight for his life and his kingdom. With Scott Adkins and Liam McIntyre. Directed by Renny Harlin. Rated PG-13, 87 minutes. — LAT

Lone Survivor — Mark Wahlberg stars in this true story of four Navy SEALS in Afghanistan in 2005 on a mission to find and eliminate a Taliban leader. When the squad is reduced to one (hence the title), he finds refuge in an unlikely place. The standard action flick accentuates the bravery of the squad, but co-writer and director Peter Berg never raises his film beyond routine adventure material. With Eric Bana, Emile Hirsch, Ben Foster and Taylor Kitsch. Rated R, 121 minutes. — B.A.

The Nut Job — In Peter Lepeniotis’ animated film, the animals in Liberty Park, ruled by a gruff raccoon (voiced by Liam Neeson) are facing a severe nut shortage, and Surly the squirrel (Will Arnett), who thinks only of himself, has somehow set fire to the winter stockpile. Banished from the park, Surly discovers a nut shop — cashews, peanuts, hazelnuts, you name it. If he can snag that booty, he’ll be golden for the winter — but a group of humans plotting a bank heist have their own connections to the nut stash. Decent but frankly forgettable entry to the animal-centered animated film oeuvre. With Katherine Heigl, Brendan Fraser and Maya Rudolph. Rated PG, 86 minutes. — AP

Ride Along — A little Kevin Hart goes a long way in Ride Along, a dull buddy picture engineered as a vehicle for the mini-motor mouth Hart and the perma-sneering Ice Cube. Cube is cranky cop James, whose pursuit of a mysterious villain named Omar is interrupted by his sister’s fiance. That would be Ben (Hart), a video game-addicted school security guard who longs to bring his wise-cracking, voice-cracking banter to the Atlanta P.D. James drags Ben on a ride-along just to convince the dude he isn’t cut out for police work and that he isn’t good enough for James’ supermodel sister Angela (Tika Sumpter). Rated PG-13, 100 minutes. — McClatchy-Tribune News Service

Saving Mr. Banks —Tom Hanks stars as Walt Disney and Emma Thompson turns in a spirited performance as P.L. Travers, the author of Mary Poppins. He brings her to Hollywood from England in hopes of landing the movie rights to her book. But he finds her cantankerous and obstructionist at every turn. Amusingly entertaining with two fine lead performances. Rated PG-13, 125 minutes. — B.A.

The Wolf of Wall Street — Leonardo DiCaprio stars in this inconsistently high-energy film from Martin Scorsese that skewers Wall Street and those who bend the rules to work there. A blazing first half filled with excess slows to a second-half grind. Fine supporting cast includes Matthew McConaughey, Margot Robbie, Shea Whigham, Jonah Hill and Jon Bernthal. Rated R, 180 minutes. — B.A.

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